Technology Education Teacher Demand, 2002-2005 It is clear that there is a shortage of teachers, especially technology education teachers. The technology education teaching profession is concerned about teacher supply and demand. In 1997, the International Technology Education Association (ITEA) published a study projecting the shortage of technology education teachers (Weston, 1997).

Hassan B. Ndahi John M. Ritz, DTE Weston’s data projected technology education teacher needs through 2001. This is a follow-up of that study, which is continuing to be monitored by Old Dominion University. Nationally, publications continue to report the need for teachers. Although the data varies, a report by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has estimated that the U.S. will need between 1.7 and 2.7 million teachers by 2008. Even with the number disparity, they predict that 66 percent of U.S. teachers are expected to retire or stop teaching in the next decade (CNN.comReuters, 2002). Many of these departures are attributed to teacher dissatisfaction, “As many as 33% of new hires leave teaching altogether in April 2003 • THE TECHNOLOGY TEACHER

their first three years, and 46% leave in the first five years” (Ingersoll, 2002). The 2000 Educator Supply and Demand in the United States, developed by the American Association for Employment in Education, reports that the national need for technology education teachers was 4.17 on a fivepoint scale, indicating some shortages. Figures reported between 5.00 and 4.21 indicated considerable shortages. Regions with considerable shortages of technology education teachers were the Great Plains/Midwest (4.44; Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota), Southeast (4.31; Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia), Mid-Atlantic (4.54; Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania), and the Northeast (4.29; Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont). The need for technology education teachers increased on a fivepoint scale by .14 from 1999 to 2000 (AAEE, 2001). This study is available online at www.aaee.org. Also an additional study by Alexander, Allen, and Nelson (1998) revealed that a serious shortage of technology education teachers exists in the U.S. 27

TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION TEACHER DEMAND, 2002-2005

Methods of Data Collection An instrument modeled after that of Weston’s (1997), was sent to the lead technology education specialist (supervisor, director, etc.) for each of the 50 states. Additional questions were developed to find if technology education curricula were beginning to be changed and be based on Standards for Technological Literacy. Questions were also asked to determine how states were coping with the shortage of technology education teachers. Forty surveys (80%) were initially completed and returned. Follow-up telephone calls were made to the ten non-respondents or their designees. All surveys were returned for a 100% response rate. Findings Teacher Supply There were 16,774 middle school technology teachers and 19,487 high school technology teachers for a total of 36,261 technology education teachers employed during the 2001 school year in the U.S. Table 1 shows the number of technology education teachers employed in the U.S. by state, as of fall 2001. In the 1997 Weston study, it was estimated that 37,968 technology education teachers were employed. One state did not respond to the 1997 study. Two states did not know how many technology education teachers they employed when responding to the 2002 study. Overall, this study showed that there are 1707 fewer technology education teachers employed in the U.S. between 1997 and 2001. Teacher Demand Table 1 also displays the projections for additional middle and high school technology education teachers needed for 2001 (2337 estimate), 2003 (3033 28

estimate), and 2005 (3648 estimate). A review of the 2001-2002 Industrial Teacher Education Directory (Bell, 2002) shows that 71 U.S. universities produced 672 technology education teachers in 2001. This would indicate that, for the 2001 school year, the technology education teaching profession was short 1665 licensed teachers (needed, 2337; produced, 672). This raises the question as to whether programs were closed or if non-licensed or emergency licensed teachers filled these vacancies. Standards for Technological Literacy In addition to the demand for technology education teachers through 2005, this study sought information on states’ revisions of their technology education curriculum, if the states were providing alternative routes for teacher licensure, and if the state’s teacher education institutions were meeting the demand for technology education teachers. Table 2 indicates that 43 states (86%) were incorporating Standards for Technological Literacy into their curriculum materials (at the local or state level). Seven states (14%) indicated they were not incorporating the standards in technology education curriculum revisions at the current time. Alternative Licensure Routes When asked if the state was providing routes to alternative teaching certification/licensure, 39 states (78%) indicated that they were employing alternative routes to licensing technology education teachers; 11 (22%) were not. Providing alternative licensure approaches can assist states in meeting some of their shortages for technology teachers. The Council on Technology Teacher Education has produced a monograph, Alternative

Licensure Models for Technology Education, suggesting guidelines that states may follow to effectively prepare teachers through alternative means (Litowitz & Sanders, 1999). It is important that some consistency be involved in alternative certification so that these newly licensed teachers are prepared to implement Standards for Technological Literacy. Supply/Demand Finally, in the 2002 survey, state supervisory personnel were asked to judge whether their technology teacher preparation institutions were providing sufficient numbers of licensed technology teachers to meet the demand for their state’s school systems. Only two states, Alabama and New York, felt that their technology teacher preparation programs were meeting their teacher needs, Table 2. Forty-eight states (96%) did not believe their teacher preparation institutions were preparing sufficient numbers of technology education teachers to meet present demands. Discussion It is clear that there is a shortage of teachers, especially technology education teachers, and the shortages will continue to increase. This is supported by the data reported through this study and others cited. School systems in general are facing huge challenges in dealing with the teacher shortage. Declining enrollments in teacher education (Isabel & Lovedahl, 1989; Miller, 1991; Hill, 1999) are not the only causes of shortages of teachers in our subject area; factors such as poor working conditions, lack of administrative and community support and economic, political, and school reform efforts are contributing to the teacher shortage as well (Gursky, 2001; THE TECHNOLOGY TEACHER • April 2003

TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION TEACHER DEMAND, 2002-2005

Table 1. Current Number of Technology Education Teachers and Projected Needs, 2001, 2003, 2005 States

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada N. Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Totals Grand Totals

Teachers Middle High High School School 120 85 300 250 435 65 10 1224 1224 138 287 450 290 36 62 1064 760 230 350 10 5 40 168 900 900 650 650 280 550 210 430 125 225 100 350 230 110 510 511 375 275 425 425 380 500 0 395 343 580 75 175 256 256 70 10 80 110 700 800 150 150 1700 1750 360 350 30 81 1000 1000 175 100 1200 900 30 50 125 75 42 32 209 140 706 1498 200 250 571 468 300 95 120 600 750 245 245 16,774 19,487 36,261

Middle School 2001 10 2 22 20 7 49 20 2 2 50 15 28 20 8 3 20 36 6 50 15 0 195 10 22 10 5 50 30 2 10 100 2 5 0 2 75 15 47 75 10 5 0 1,055

2003 15 25 3 18 25 10 52 20 2 3 75 25 35 30 10 10 24 10 75 25 0 260 12 22 15 5 20 50 45 4 15 150 3 5 1 100 30 70 75 10 5 4 1,393 4,115

High School 2005 20 30 4 16 30 15 58 30 2 5 125 35 56 35 15 20 30 15 100 30 0 275 15 22 15 5 20 50 60 5 20 150 3 5 1 125 30 75 100 10 5 5 1,667

2001 5 2 39 25 8 49 30 8 50 15 55 25 12 5 12 37 6 50 20 60 244 15 25 5 50 20 5 5 100 3 2 2 3 75 15 46 75 10 69 0 1,282

2003 10 25 3 31 85 10 52 30 10 75 25 82 30 14 15 14 10 75 35 65 270 18 25 5 25 50 30 10 10 100 4 0 2 100 30 70 100 10 80 5 1,640 4,903

2005 15 30 4 28 40 20 59 50 12 125 35 110 45 20 15 18 15 150 40 75 310 20 25 10 25 50 40 12 15 125 5 0 3 125 25 75 100 10 95 5 1,981

9,018

April 2003 • THE TECHNOLOGY TEACHER

29

TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION TEACHER DEMAND, 2002-2005

Weaver 2000). This means our profession must not only look at how to prepare additional teachers, but how to retain them in the teaching profession after they are prepared. Supervisors and teacher educators must explore alternative means to technology education teacher licensure. Alternatives can be used in the short term. States used alternative means in earlier decades when there were not sufficient numbers of licensed teachers. Many states now have career-switcher programs that require a B.S. or B.A. degree, passing scores on Praxis 1 and 2, and completion of a summer institute on strategies used to teach. If alternative means are used to fill the current void, what types of mentorships or programs are being designed/used to assist the newly qualified teachers? What are/will these non-traditionally prepared teachers learn about curriculum redesigns, including Standards for Technological Literacy? If our profession believes that our curriculum should reflect new and different approaches to teaching our subject matter, how might we reach our new teacher population, since this study showed that a number of states remain obstinate to the needed changes in technology education? One approach toward assisting new teachers who enter technology education classrooms/laboratories is to make them aware of state-developed technology education instructional materials and the vast amount of resources available through the International Technology Education Association to assist them with their daily work. Much technology education instructional information can be found using the World Wide Web. ITEA’s Web site, www.iteawww.org, should be provided to new teachers so that its mate30

rials may be accessed. New teachers can learn from accessing ITEA’s Idea Garden or communicating with successful teachers through Teacher Chronicles, where experts in the field can be asked questions pertaining to success in our specialized teaching field. Also, it might be suggested that we, the members of the technology education profession, need to ensure that we have the qualified teachers that we need in the future. If all high school teachers made a commitment to send one member of this year’s graduating class to pursue a teaching degree in technology education, we could eradicate the technology education teacher shortage in a four-year time frame. We are the technology education profession. It is our responsibility to correct the supply and demand dilemma for our profession. Recruit one; you can make the difference. References Alexander, N.C., Allen, M.G., & Nelson, E. (1998). Technology education in the United States: A national survey. Tech Directions, 57(9), 16-19. American Association for Employment in Education, Inc. (2001). Educators supply and demand in the United States. Columbus, OH: Author. Bell, T., Editor. (2001-02). Industrial Teacher Education Directory, CTTE and NAITTE, Department of Industry and Technology, Millersville University of Pennsylvania, Millersville, PA. CNN.com. Washington, (2002 Reuters). Wanted: Math and science teachers. [Online] Available: http://fyi.cnn.com/2002/ fyi/teachers.ednews/07/31/teachers.needed. reut/index.htm. Gursky, D. (2002). Supply and demand. American Teacher, 85(4), 12-17. Hill, C.E. (1999). Signs of distress in technology education programs. The Technology Teacher, 58(7), 21-25. Ingersoll, R. (August 23, 2002). High turnover plagues schools. USA Today [Online] Available: www.usatoday.com/news/ opinion/2002-08-14-oplede_x.jtm. International Technology Education Association

(ITEA). (2000). Standards for technological literacy: Content for the study of technology. Reston, VA: Author. Isbell, C.H. & Lovedahl, G.G. (1989). A Survey of recruitment techniques used in industrial arts/technology education programs. The Journal of Epsilon Pi Tau, 15(1), 37-41. Litowitz, L. & Sanders, M. (1999). CTTE Monograph 16: Alternative licensure models for technology education. Reston, VA: Council on Technology Teacher Education. Manufacturing Institute. (August 23, 2002). Decisions without directions. [Online] Available: www.ferris.edu.htmls/ administrators/president/CI/ncds.htm. Miller, J.A. (1991). Recruitment and support for women students in technology teacher education. The Journal of Epsilon Pi Tau, (17), 27-30. Weaver, R. (2000). Responding to teacher shortage. The Agricultural Education Magazine, 72(5), 14-15. Weston, S. (1997) Teacher shortage-supply and demand. The Technology Teacher, 57(1), 6-9.

Hassan B. Ndahi is Assistant Professor, Technology Education Program, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA. Dr. Ndahi can be reached at [email protected]. John M. Ritz, DTE, is Professor and Chair, Department of Occupational and Technical Studies, Darden College of Education, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA. He serves on the Board of Directors of the International Technology Education Association and represents teacher education.

The National Association of Manufacturers’ research arm has recently reported on the poor state of America’s guidance counseling. Decisions Without Directions reports the results of a survey of high school juniors and seniors, showing that just 10 percent said school personnel had played the primary role in their career guidance (www.ferris.edu/ htmls/administration/president/ CI/ncds.htm). Technology education teachers need to take a greater role in counseling their students to become technology education teachers!

THE TECHNOLOGY TEACHER • April 2003

TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION TEACHER DEMAND, 2002-2005

Table 2. Standards Implementation, Alternative Certification, and Teacher Preparation Is Your State Revising Curriculum to Reflect Standards for Technological Literacy? STATES Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Total

YES ✓

NO ✓

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Is your State Providing Alternative Certification? YES ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

✓ ✓

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

✓

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

✓

✓ ✓

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

✓

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 7

✓ ✓ ✓ 39

NO ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

✓

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

April 2003 • THE TECHNOLOGY TEACHER

YES ✓

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

✓ ✓ 43

NO

Is Your State Providing Enough Quality Technology Education Teachers?

11

2

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 48

31